FOXBOROUGH –Alex Silvestro has been around New England long enough to know strange ideas often emerge when the coaching staff gathers for meetings.

But that didn't stop him from initially thinking it was a joke when a member of the staff approached him during the spring with an offensive playbook and told him that his position was being changed from defensive end to tight end.

“I thought someone was playing a prank on me,” Silvestro, who signed as an undrafted rookie in 2011, said. “I was like, ‘Really? OK, sure.’ I didn’t really expect it.”

How could he? Silvestro was strictly a defensive player at Rutgers and hasn’t lined up on the offense since his starring for Paulsboro High School in his native New Jersey, where he played tight end, defensive end, on special teams, and served as the punter. Moving to the offensive side of the ball was the last thing he expected when he reported to camp this spring.

And unfortunately it hasn’t been as simple as picking up where he left off all those years ago in high school. Silvestro has been mostly utilized as a goal-line weapon, though he has struggled at times to make catches and sometimes appears uncomfortable in his new role.

It’s a process that he is hoping soon takes a turn for the better.

“Each and every day I’ve tried to get a little better,” Silvestro said. “Obviously you don’t want to take any steps back, but some days you’re going to have better practices than others. I just keep trying to go out here and do the best I can and improve as much as I can, as fast as I can.”

It will be a challenge for Fells to make the Patriots' final 53-man roster. The team went on a shopping spree for tight ends during the offseason, and currently have seven on their roster. However, injuries to Jake Ballard, Visanthe Shiancoe and Daniel Fells could increase Silvestro's odds of surviving the final cut if the team chooses to carry a third tight end into the season behind Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernenadez.

Despite the level of competition at the position, Silvestro said that his teammates have been an invaluable resource to him as he tries to learn all the nuances of being a tight end.

“There are a whole lot of people in the tight end room now and a bunch of them have experience,” he said. “Anything that George (Godsey, tight ends coach) says and then they kind of give you a little player perspective on it, too. So that’s good to have experienced people in front of you to watch and learn from.”

If nothing else, Silvestro said that Bill Belichick’s latest experiment has made him a better football player. By being forced to view the game through a different prism, it’s made him view the game in a different, broader light.

“Honestly, I think it just helps me understand the game a little bit better,” Silvestro said. “I think about, ‘On this play what would I do if I were the defensive end?’ Whereas before I wouldn’t really think much about what the tight end was thinking."